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(No Model.)

A. L. STARKB. RAIL TIE PLATE AND BEACH. No. 520,276. Patented May 22,1894.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AUGUST L. STARKE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

RAIL-TIE PLATE AND BRACE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 520,276, dated May 22,1894.

Application filed January 31, 1894. Serial No. 498,608. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, AUGUST L. STARKE, of the city, county, and State ofNew York, have invented a new and Improved Rail-Tie Plate and Brace, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements in the class of rail tie plates andbraces which are used in connection with ordinary sleepers and rails;and the object of my invention is to produce a combined metallic tieplate and brace of the greatest simplicity and cheapness, which iscomposed of a single piece, which is adapted to be placed on an ordinarysleeper, and is also adapted to rigidly support a rail and at the sametime brace the sides of the rail so as to prevent the rail from eitherturning or spreading.

To these ends my invention consists of certain features of constructionand combinations of parts, which will be hereinafter described andclaimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar figures of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is abroken perspective view of my improved rail tie plate andbrace, as applied to a railroad rail. Fig. 2 is abroken side elevationof the tie plate and brace, as applied to the rail, the latter beingshown in cross section; and Fig. 3 is a broken plan view of the rail tieplate and brace.

The tie plate has its body portion composed of a flat plate 10 which maybe either of cast or wrought iron or steel, or in fact may be of anysuitable metal, and the plate is adapted to be placed upon a sleeperbeneath the rail so as to support it and, as illustrated, the plate isshort but it will be understood that it may be made long enough to liebeneath two rails instead of beneath one. The plate 10 is fiat and hason its under side two or more longitudinal parallel ribs 11, which areadapted to be embedded in the sleeper and, as these tie plates areusually arranged to have the ribs abut at their inner ends with the woodof the sleepers, the ribs serve to prevent the tie plate and rail fromshifting in any direction. The tie plate is widened slightly, as shownat 12, and turned up on its opposite edges to form braces 12 which areat right angles to the plate 10 and which have their outer portionspreferably inclined, as shown at 13 in Fig. 2, and their inner edges 14shaped to fit snugly over the flange 15, against the web 16, and beneaththe shoulder of the tread 17 of the rail. The braces 12 are madeintegral with the plate 10, so that the whole tie plate and its bracesare composed of a single piece, and may be very cheaply constructed. Itwill be observed that the braces, as arranged, fit against the wholeouter side of the rail, so as to support it rigidly and prevent it fromturning or spreading. These braces moreover are beyondthe verticalplanes of the ribs 11 so as not to be struck when the ribs are beingdriven into the tie. The plate 10 is punched, at points coincident withopposite edges of the rail, as shown at 18 in Fig. 3, the holes thusmade being adapted to receive spikes or bolts 19 which overlap the railflange and thus bind the rail to the tie plate, while the spikes alsopass downward into the sleepers and bind both rail and tie plate tothem.

From the above description it will be seen that the tie plate is verycheap, simple, and strong, that it may be easily applied to a rail andsleeper, and that, when applied, it braces the rail as thoroughly as isnecessary.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent As an improved article of manufacture a rail tie plateand brace consisting in the plate 10, formed on its upper side withinternal inclined rail braces shaped at their inner ends to fit the sideof the rail, and parallel longitudinal ribs 11 integral with the underside of the plate and beyond the planes of the ribs; spike apertures 18being formed in the plate, substantially as set forth.

AUGUST L. STARKE.

Witnesses:

WARREN B. HUToHINsoN, O. SEDGWICK.

